


Hey Stranger

by sharkinterviewee



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Car Theft AU, Crime stuff, F/M, Mob Ties, On the Run, failure to hotwire a vehicle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23521465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkinterviewee/pseuds/sharkinterviewee
Summary: Prompt: "Hello stranger, you don't seem very good at hotwiring a car. It's the blue wire you should use. Or would you like the keys instead?"Gamora cursed internally, cracking the door open a bit, unable to take the heat of the car any longer. She had wanted to keep the door closed- less suspicious that way, but she was already sweating like crazy and felt like she was dying. She didn't want to wait for the symptoms of heat exhaustion to set in. And if she could just get these damn wires right, she'd be able to turn on the AC and get out of here."You don't seem to be very good at hot wiring a car," a voice said from behind her, and Gamora's head slammed into the underside of the dashboard, cursing as she was caught literally red handed- there were so many colored wires, she'd pretty much been trying to find the right combination by process of elimination. With absolutely zero success.
Relationships: Gamora/Peter Quill
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	Hey Stranger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [philthestone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/philthestone/gifts).



> I reread Philthestone's [all the good love, when we're all alone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14349477) this morning, and later today I came across this prompt [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815731) (originally submitted to a prompt blog for a completely different pairing)
> 
> Then I wrote this

Gamora cursed internally, cracking the door open a bit, unable to take the heat of the car any longer. She had wanted to keep the door closed- less suspicious that way, but she was already sweating like crazy and felt like she was dying. She didn't want to wait for the symptoms of heat exhaustion to set in. And if she could just get these damn wires right, she'd be able to turn on the AC and get out of here.

"You don't seem to be very good at hot wiring a car," a voice said from behind her, and Gamora's head slammed into the underside of the dashboard, cursing as she was caught literally red handed- there were so many colored wires, she'd pretty much been trying to find the right combination by process of elimination. With absolutely zero success.

"It's the blue wire you should use," he continued. "Or would you like the keys instead?"

Double shit. The car owner. No chance of convincing a gullible person she had lost her keys and had no way of contacting someone. Though a good samaritan probably would've called the cops when they saw what she was doing, not approach her and start talking to her.

She slowly brought her head out from under his dash to glare at him, kicking the car door open a little wider so she could bolt if necessary.

The man looked totally at ease, coffee in one hand, and far too amused by the situation. He should have been angry, confused, or scared. Maybe a mix of all three.

Not smiling like this was some friendly conversation.

She still had sweat dripping down her face, but she didn't say a word. She was still analyzing the situation, weighing all her options.

He tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful hum that might have sounded concerned. "You've been working at this for a while, haven't you?"

He had parked a block away from the shop, one of the side streets that didn't get much traffic, and was much easier to find a place and pull out of than the busy main street. Besides, walking to his car was gonna be his exercise for the week.

He had been amused and maybe a little thrilled to see his car door propped open, someone's foot still on the ground and digging around inside. Cause seriously, of all people, him? His car?

Once he got closer, he could see it was a woman, who very clearly had no idea what she was doing. She kept pulling and trying to connect different exposed wires at random, and after two minutes of standing by his bumper and watching more or less over her shoulder, he decided to interrupt. She was clearly working on movie knowledge; not an experienced car thief in the slightest.

But now that she was looking at him, he wondered how long she had been working in his car with all the doors closed. She was wearing all black too, and Peter had gotten an iced coffee today for a reason- it was hot as hell.

"Yours was the only one unlocked on this block. First one I found, anyway," she explained with a tense shrug.

Which yeah, makes sense. Peter didn't really lock his car much. Didn't have anything to steal in it anyway. 

"Got somewhere you need to be?" He asked casually.

"Anywhere but here," Gamora said with a bitter laugh. Of course when she finally had an opportunity to escape, the one illegal skill Thanos hadn't taught her was the one she needed. Their rides were always provided _for them_ when they were sent to do his dirty work. She had never needed to steal a car before.

And now she was in this city with no contacts, no safe houses to lie low in, and her best bet was getting as far away from here as possible. 

The man starts reaching for his pocket, and before Gamora can react to him possibly reaching for a weapon, he pulls something out and tosses it to her.

She catches the keys in her hands. Gamora blinks down at them, absolutely dumbfounded.

"Are you serious?"

He shrugged. "You aren't exactly a criminal mastermind," and oh, how wrong he was there. Not for this type of crime. "I mean, you really suck at stealing cars. If you're desperate enough to try and hotwire a car for the first time for god knows how long in the middle of summer, figure it's probably for a very good reason. Besides, it's not mine anyway."

Gamora hissed. "It's  _ stolen?! _ "

"Eh," he waved his hand in a so-so gesture. "No one's looking for it, if that's what you're asking. The vin number doesn't match though, but state's only do their own registries for that stuff, so as long as you don't get pulled over in Nevada, you'll be fine."

She looked doubtful, her jaw clenched, obviously conflicted as she cast her eyes between him and the keys, and back to him. Definitely didn't have many people to trust.

"Really," Peter promised, his voice soft but sincere. "I know what it's like to steal a car because you're desperate. Trust me, you're it," he said, a wry smile at his lips that seemed more self deprecating than anything. "Whatever you're running from- you can have the car and go as far as you need to go. You probably picked the best car to steal, honestly. It won't get traced back to you, and won't even get traced back to me. The papers in the glove box check out, you won't run into any problems. Except if you get your oil changed in Nevada. Literally any other state runs the vin number and you're good. Anywhere else, you're golden."

Gamora closed her hand around the keys. "Thank you," she said quietly.

The man nodded and stepped back as she turned them in the ignition. If she was alone, she might have cried in utter relief at the sound of the engine starting. 

She quickly closed the door and pulled out of park. She adjusted the rear view mirror, seeing the guy who just gave her the keys to his car wave goodbye.

She held up her hand in a weak thanks, and drove away.

She didn’t even know his name.

* * *

Gamora made it two blocks. Before circling back around to find him again.

He hadn't made it very far, just walking on the sidewalk with his iced coffee like that was his plan all along, like he didn’t just help someone steal his admittedly shady car.

Maybe if he had been a normal person, she would’ve left. Just taken the car and never looked back, rather than risk someone who was just trying to help her getting caught up in all of this.

But he obviously had criminal ties of his own (as did she). And Gamora was so tired of running.

She didn’t have anyone to trust in this city, but whoever he was- he had less than legal connections, and that was safer than trying to outrun a shadow.

Peter was surprised when he looked up and realized he recognized the car that had slowed down next to him, and recognized the person driving it.

She rolled down the window. “I’m on the run from the mob!” She called out. “You wanna get involved in that?”

It took Peter a second to realize it was an invitation, then, he smiled. “Sure, why not?” 

He climbed into the passenger seat of his car without a second thought.

* * *

"I hope you have some place to go, cause I sure as hell don't," Gamora's nervous chuckle was only slightly forced, the impulsiveness of her actions starting to catch up to her. This wasn't part of the plan. She didn't have a plan. 

The only plan she had was run.

This was so far out of bounds of anything she'd ever done. And she didn't regret it at all.

"Yeah," he said, and proceeded to rattle off an address.

She paused, "uh… you know I'm not from around here, right?" Maybe she should've let him drive his car she just stole.

"You'll be driving along this road for the next ten minutes or so, then take a left on Magnolia. Only a few streets on from there. I’ll tell you when to turn.”

Gamora breathed out a sigh of- relief? Something, at finally having a plan, a place to go, even something as simple as literal directions to a destination. It was more than she’d had since she broke away from Thanos. More than she’d had in a long time, really.

Peter looked over at her, not really sure if this was the right time, but he’d never had much impulse control. “So, you mind me asking how you got mixed up with the mob?” His elbow rested near the passenger window, fingers idly tapping the car interior, going for casual instead of curious like he really was.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I used to work for them.”

Now that got his attention. When he heard her problems were mob related, he expected something more along the lines of a troubled family member, maybe some bad business with a loan shark- you know, normal people reasons for getting involved with the mob. If he had to take a guess, he’d go with medical debt that a loan shark was intent on collecting upon. That was getting more common these days. People borrowing from less than reputable sources to pay hospital bills, and the interest rates on mob money- you couldn’t get out of that. And if you went to the cops, you’d find your house burned down that you put up for collateral six months later, all chalked up to an electrical fire. Pretty good reason for wanting to get away.

But working for them- now that… that he was not expecting.

He hadn’t pegged her for a criminal- she was so  _ bad  _ at stealing cars.

“What’d you do for them?” He asked before he could stop himself.

She tensed all over, her jaw tightening, and kept staring straight out the windshield in silence. Definitely the wrong thing to ask.

Peter cringed, slumping back in his seat, ready to shut up for the rest of the ride. Just when she seemed like she was starting to trust him.

Gamora breathed out slowly. He should- he should know. He might decide not to help her, but he deserves to know the truth. He would be getting ‘mixed up’ with the mob too cause of this, just because he was… kind. Whatever car thief/chop shop operation he at least had some ties to didn’t mean he deserved to die if Thanos ever found her.

“The worst of it?” She said with a forced levity. “We had guns for that. And we used them.” 

She had no desire to be more blunt than that. She was sure he got what that meant.

He didn’t react. At all. She kept waiting and waiting for something- anything, but nope. Nothing.

“That a problem?” Gamora tried to keep her tone as bland as possible. Hearing someone heavily imply they used to kill people for the mob- it didn’t exactly inspire confidence if they sounded like they were one wrong move away from snapping.

Peter hesitated. Then, “Not so long as I made a good first impression.”

Gamora laughed, surprising even herself. She took a quick glance over to see him still looking at her, seeming genuinely delighted at making her laugh. She quickly refocused back on the road.

“Very good,” she assured him. She was more hesitant to say this next part, because sharing made you vulnerable, and any vulnerabilities could be exploited, but- she really didn’t want him to think badly of her, that she killed people by choice. 

Still, she chose her words carefully. “My time with them was less than voluntary.”

“Kinda figured,” he said with a lopsided smile that was actually kind of charming. “I’m Peter, by the way.”

“Gamora.”

She still didn’t know what she was going to do next, but she knew she wasn’t going to have to figure it out alone.

He was right. She really did pick the best car to steal today.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: all I know about stealing cars/car cloning comes from that one episode of Leverage. All I know about loan sharks comes from that other episode of Leverage.


End file.
